


Destiny Island Trio: Da Capo al Segno

by silveradept



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Catching Up After A Long Absence, Challenges, Fluff, Kairi Drive Form, Mentioned Wakka/Lulu, Multi, Paopu Fruit (Kingdom Hearts), Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Sora and Riku Are Still Competitive, Sufficiently Post-Kingdom Hearts III That Everybody's Together Again, kairi loves her boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-30
Updated: 2019-08-30
Packaged: 2020-09-30 17:47:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20451080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silveradept/pseuds/silveradept
Summary: The Destiny Island Trio is back after their worlds-spanning adventure, and they're looking forward to down time, strengthening their relationships, and not having to go fight Heartless again.Which gives theotherDestiny Island Trio the opportunity to do what they've been meaning to for a while.





	Destiny Island Trio: Da Capo al Segno

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Serie11](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serie11/gifts).

"So, how did it go with Riku?" Sora asked Kairi after she came in from the beach.

"It went fine," she replied. "Riku wasn't very forthcoming with his feelings until I sat on him and refused to let him go."

"I assume that's a metaphor for something," Sora said, looking quizzically at her.

"No," she said cheerily.

"Riku gets all the fun," Sora said, affecting a slight pout. 

"I think he also had a lot of not fun," Kairi said pointedly.

Sora nodded. "Hey, Riku," he said as Riku entered their shared shack. "How was the sunset?"

"It was beautiful," Riku said. "It's nice to be home."

Sora enveloped Riku in a hug. "Where you and Kairi are is home," he said. "I'm glad we finally get to spend some time together."

"Your parents seem remarkably okay with all three of us staying in the same house. Even possibly sleeping in the same bedroom," Kairi said.

"Yeah," Sora said, putting his hand on the back of his neck. "I'd like to say it's because they've seen how much I've grown and matured since we left, but I think they've admitted to themselves that we all want to be together, so the least they can do is put us together where we're safe."

"…How much of what happened do they remember?" Riku asked.

"Not a whole lot, I think."

"Master Ansem suggested that time moved a lot more slowly in the Sleeping Worlds than it did outside," Kairi suggested with a yawn. "So maybe we weren't gone for as long as we were."

"I always left the metaphysics to Donald and Goofy," Sora said, echoing Kairi's yawn. "It never made much sense to me."

"Probably best to sleep on it," Riku said, laying down on his cot. After a moment, he sat back up.

"I remember these being bigger the last time we slept on them," he said.

"Yeah, me, too," Sora said, before laying back down. "I guess it's another sign of our growing up."

"Growing older, maybe," Riku quipped from his cot. "I don't think you've grown up any."

"Hey," Sora protested, before all three started laughing.

Kairi laid down on her own cot, smiling. How long had it been since they were all together and there wasn't a threat to the worlds they had to face in the morning? She smiled. They were together, and that was what mattered.

* * *

Kairi awoke with a start, listening and looking intently for whatever threat had dragged her from her sleep. After a few moments where nothing materialized, she realized she felt heavier than usual. Looking down, she stifled a laugh. At some point during the night, Sora and Riku had pulled their cots next to hers and thrown an arm around her, as if to convince themselves that she was still there. And, maybe, to try and protect her from what was still out there.

She wondered which one of them had done it first. Sora never had any trouble expressing his feelings, including the ones he had for Kairi. It made it very easy for everyone to assume that they were a couple when Riku was away. If Sora had started it, Riku followed to remind him that he wasn't the only one interested in her. 

Riku, on the other hand, had a lot of practice holding his feelings in. She'd met him so long ago, in what seemed like another life, with another name, being brave and saying what he wanted, even at a young age. It had taken so long for Riku to become the man he wanted to be, and he had suffered so much before now. But it had also made Riku very protective of his friends, because he won them so infrequently. If Riku had come over first, Sora had followed to remind him that he didn't have to protect her by himself.

Both of her boys, still competing, as if they didn't really believe that she could love them both equally and for their own reasons. She smiled. Maybe if she started referring to them as her boys in both of their presence, they'd get the hint. She'd tried it out with Axel, while they were training with their Keyblades. He'd snorted, and suggested that if she wanted to refer to them as her boys, she would have to find some way of bringing them both to heel.

"Sora wears his heart on his sleeve," Axel had said. "He doesn't know anything other than that. He's also spent all of this time keeping you on a pedestal. I don't know how he'll be when he finds out he has to share."

When she mentioned Riku as the other one, Axel had laughed.

"You really know how to pick opposites, don't you? Riku doesn't let anything stand in the way of what he wants, and I wouldn't be surprised if that also extends to Sora. You don't need me to provide the heat there, just the popcorn."

"Oh? Are you saying you want in?" she'd teased him.

"Nah," he'd replied, equally as easily. "My heart is…elsewhere. Kind of literally, now that I think about it."

Lucky for her that Sora was more than happy to share his friends with each other. Luckier still that the things that Riku wanted to keep close to him included Sora.

All three of them, sleeping close, arms flung possessively and protectively around each other, it felt nice. It felt right. She hoped they felt the same way, too.

* * *

When they all emerged the next morning, they saw the other Destiny Island trio waiting for them. 

"Nice to see you all together again!" Wakka called up to them. "Did you have a nice cuddle together?"

Sora grinned. "Yep! Best sleep I've had in years."

Riku twitched his hand toward his face before letting it fall back to his side.

"Did you have fun on your trip?" Selphie called up.

"Not really," Kairi shouted back. "Still too many people that think I'm a trophy, a prize, or bait."

Tidus's eyebrows twitched.

"Can we be serious about this?" Tidus said.

"Oh, right," Wakka said.

The three of them stuck a pose that Kairi could see had been well-rehearsed.

"We challenge you for the title of Island Protectors!" Tidus shouted, pointing his wooden sword at the other three.

"…seriously?" Riku said.

"Yes!" Tidus shouted in reply. "You weren't here all that time we had to deal with the shadows and the terrible creatures, so we're the island's protectors now!"

"What do you think, Riku?" Sora said, smiling. "Should we give it to them?"

"Without a fight?" Riku said, the edges of his mouth curling up toward a smile. "I think Tidus would feel cheated."

"He's been practicing for this moment," Sora said. "We should indulge him."

"Stop patronizing me and get down here," Tidus grumbled.

"Breakfast first!" Sora called cheerily.

"Got it covered!" Selphie called back, pointing at the picnic basket a safe distance away from the three. 

"Be right there!" both boys called, jumping down to the beach and sprinting to the basket, Tidus and Wakka in hot pursuit. 

Kairi shook her head and jumped after them.

"Boys," she said to Selphie as she walked past.

"There's enough for everyone," Selphie said, matching her step. "Besides, you wouldn't have it any other way, would you?"

"Nope," she said. "They're still boys a lot of the time, but they're my boys, and I love them. How is school?"

"We missed you a lot these past few years," Selphie said, smiling. "It's not as cool as being a hero of many worlds, sure, but it's nice to have someone to talk to at the lunch table about the boys and their adventures, you know?"

"Yeah," Kairi said, nodding, but wondering if Selphie really understood what "the boys and their adventures" meant to her.

Breakfast handled, Selphie and Kairi took the basket over to their favorite log to catch up.

"Do you have your eye on anyone?" Kairi asked.

"No, not really," Selphie said. "Wakka's crushing hard on a third-year named Lulu. I'm not sure she'd give him the time of day, though. That's been mostly so entertaining that I haven't thought much about me."

A spray of sand, courtesy of Wakka's blitzball, interrupted Kairi's next question. Turning to glare in Wakka's direction, Kairi saw all four boys waving the two girls over.

"I think we're supposed to participate this time," Selphie said.

"That's new," Kairi remarked.

"It wouldn't be a proper challenge if we didn't, I guess. If you want to, you know I won't go easy on you."

"I don't expect you to."

Selphie smiled and threw the ball up for Kairi, who jumped and spiked it back into Wakka's waiting arms. She felt a small amount of satisfaction at the grunt he let out, surprised at the force behind it.

Kairi had no idea where Selphie had stashed the nunchaku before now, but in the time it had taken her to spike, Selphie had retrieved them and was running to take her spot on Tidus's other side.

Kairi ran to both of her boys.

"What's the plan?"

"We thought we'd let you lead," Riku said.

"Seemed like the fairest option," Sora added.

Kairi looked at them. "Are you sure? I only mastered my Drive Forms a little while ago."

Riku nodded. "We trust you."

"It'll be fun. I've never experienced it this way before," Sora added.

"Okay," Kairi said, summoning her Keyblade. "Let's do this."

Riku and Sora each put a hand on her shoulders. Kairi concentrated on her Drive, pulling on both of their energies and their love for her, and pulled herself into Fire Form.

"I'm out," Selphie said immediately, waving to the other two and walking back toward the gossip log.

"Where are you going?" Tidus called after her, clearly upset at the defection. "There's three of us against her now!"

"She's surfing on top of a dragon made of fire. If you knew what was good for you, you'd give up, too."

Tidus and Wakka adjusted to cover the spot Selphie had left open and readied themselves for an attack.

Kairi opted to let the dragon heat the sand underneath their feet with some flame breath. Tidus jumped first, running for the water, with Wakka in hot pursuit. Kairi lazily circled around them, letting the dragon breathe more fire behind them to keep them moving until they hit the water.

"Give up?" she asked after they had cooled their heels for a minute.

"Now we're in our element," Wakka said. "That fire dragon can't hurt us here." 

Wakka flung the wet ball at her, expecting the spray to hurt the dragon in some way. Instead, Kairi swatted the ball back with her Keyblade, smiling as the ball splashed a wave into Tidus's face. Sputtering, he glared at Kairi.

"That's unnecessary," he said. "You could have been nice about showing off how overpowered you all are."

"I _am_ being nice," Kairi said. "You both got to take a refreshing swim to clear your heads."

Kairi let the Drive go, gently floating to the sand as Sora and Riku emerged from the dragon.

"I assume we're done?" Riku said.

Tidus nodded. "Next time, we'll win for sure."

Sora grinned. "You know, there's a good chance we won't be here all the time. How would you feel about being Island Protectors when we're gone?"

"Sounds good to me," Wakka said before Tidus could open his mouth.

Kairi beamed. She loved Sora's diplomatic side and hoped that they'd be able to use it more.

"Now that we're settled, how about a game of Coconut Dive?" Riku said. The other boys agreed readily, and went off in search of suitable coconuts.

Kairi and Selphie, now that they could talk uninterrupted, caught up on the rest of the school year until Selphie had to head home for dinner. Kairi went up to the shack to nap until her boys were ready to eat.

When she woke up, it was darker out. Sora and Riku were standing by the door, carefully holding something between them.

"What are you two up to?" she asked.

"We found one. I don't think they're supposed to be in season yet, but this one is ripe," Sora said. "I thought we could all make it official."

Kairi sat up.

"A paopu fruit?" she asked. "Where did that come from?" 

"A small tree we found while playing Coconut Dive," Riku said. Then, hesitatingly, he added, "If you and Sora wanted to share it, I won't mind."

"Sora," Kairi said, trying to keep her voice cheerful, "would you take care of cutting the fruit into three? I need to have another sit-down on Riku."

"No problem," Sora said, heading for the kitchen.

Kairi patted the cot next to her, offering an invitation that she hoped Riku would take.

"Are we okay?" she asked him when he sat.

"Yeah," he said, letting out a breath. "It still feels like you and Sora have the relationship and I'm a stray cat you've adopted."

"Because you think we don't love stray cats?" 

"Because it's really hard to imagine that you or Sora is really that interested in me. I did a lot of things that hurt you both."

"And you did many more after that helped."

"You saved me from my own nightmares," Sora said, carrying the pieces of the fruit arranged on plates. "I'm still here because of you."

"That's not…really a reason to stick with someone," Riku said, taking his slice.

"It really is," Kairi replied. "Saving someone's life does tend to mean they want to stick around." She raised her plate in a toast. "To always being in each other's hearts."

"To always finding each other again," Sora said, raising his plate.

Riku picked his fruit off the plate and bit into it.

Sora grabbed Riku's remaining fruit and threw it whole into his mouth.

Riku stole Sora's fruit from his plate and ate it in retaliation. 

Kairi smiled to herself and nibbled at her own fruit as the good-natured chaos escalated around her. They were still boys in so, _so_ many ways, but they were her boys, and she never planned on letting them go.


End file.
